Pandora's Box
by Iris Hunter
Summary: A new demigod encounters the seven (Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Annabeth Chace, Piper McLean) for a mini-adventure in England. The new half-blood, Iris, could also be Leo's new love interest... PS: I know Pandora's Box in the PJO series is actually a jar but I thought I should stick more to a box because of reasons. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

The seven were running across the meadow. Not in a poetic and beautiful way because they were, as usual, running for their lives. Leo scanned his surroundings. It was an incredible landscape: the sun was setting in the distance, the vast green prairie met its end at the bottom of the high hills in the horizon, and the fresh winter air brushed Leo's face in the wind. It looked very much like a postcard. Well it actually _was_ a postcard: fifty feet away from them laid the Stonehenge. Yes, the real one.

Leo would've enjoyed a lot more the view if there weren't an army of two hundred monsters running after them. Harpies, minor titans, telekines, dwarfs, Cyclops and other creatures Leo couldn't even name were tracking them, surrounding them and they only had a couple of minutes to get to safety in the Stonehenge. Annabeth had explained earlier how such an ancient place could be a source of protection for well-intentioned demigods. Or at least she thought so, but in that moment, it better be true.

The big deal? A tiny little black box called Pandora's box that contained the most horrible evil this world had seen. One would expect that after you defeat Gaia herself the gods would leave you alone but _oh no-_ they had other plans for them. The Olympians had sent the crew to England, to find Pandora's box at the British Museum before their enemies, who could use it to get rid of them and take over the world, and bring it back to Mount Olympus in Manhattan. Piece of cake. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones after the box so they'd been running, hiding and fighting ever since they found it, about a week ago.

Leo looked at his friends. No matter how exhausted they were, they seemed to have just enough strength to keep going. Jason was taking the lead, holding Pandora's box with one hand and drawing _Gladius_, his Imperial gold sword with the other. Apart from a long scratch in his left cheek, he looked fine. Then there was Percy, also drawing his sword _Riptide_ and holding his girlfriend Annabeth's hand, who went right behind him and seemed at the verge of collapsing at any second. Right next to Leo, there was Frank. Frank had been shot an arrow to his right arm, making him unable to use his bow. He was bleeding badly, the colour already drained off his face but guarding his back he had Hazel and Piper, ready to help him if he happened to pass out or something.

Forty feet. They were getting close. _Hold on, Leo, you got this_ he told himself.

Twenty feet. Frank cried out in pain. The monsters roared in the distance.

Ten feet. An arrow cut the air right next to Annabeth's head and she jumped closer to Percy.

_Five. Four. Three. Two._

The passed by the closest menhir and the seven collapsed on the floor. They dragged themselves to nearby rocks to rest against them and catch their breaths.

"Annabeth" Jason said, heavily breathing "Please tell me it's working"

Annabeth looked at the monsters with concern and Leo followed her gaze just to know the answer before she could speak it: the monsters were not stopping. Not even slowing down.

"I'm sorry, I-I thought-"

Percy squished her hand "It's not your fault. You did great"

No one felt like correcting him but their chances weren't exactly looking good. Leo did some calculations and concluded they had about ninety seconds before their enemies reached them. He eyed Hazel and she smiled shyly at him. If he was going to die, he thought, at least he had his friend at his side.

"So…" Piper muttered "what now?"

Leo stared at his feet, thinking of how easy life would've been if he were born a normal boy "Well, we wait for them and defend ourselves as we can"

"Leo's right" Jason stood up with difficulty "Protect Pandora's box at any cost"

Slowly and one by one, the demigods stood and closed circle like they always did in moments of distress. They drew their weapons around Jason who held the box in the middle. Leo took a hammer from his tool belt just to not feel empty-handed and prepared for the attack.

"Ah! A good ol' encounter with death. Nothing better to keep the adrenaline running" He said.

The monsters were closer and closer. Suddenly, Leo felt like the temperature had dropped ten degrees (which for December was saying _very_ cold).

"Oh give me that" Leo heard a feminine voice say from behind but he was too slow to turn around in time.

Before any of them could do anything a black figure passed through them and took Pandora's box from Jason's hands. The person turned for a second just to check on his expression. A girl, about their age, fairly skinny, carried the box with one hand and a megaphone with the other, wearing a black cap to hide her hair, a simple black t-shirt and some black shorts. Being the middle of the English winter and wearing those clothes, Leo figured she was either insane or she knew exactly what she was doing.

She hopped on a horizontal menhir and faced the monsters. Jason took a step forward ready to jump over her but Annabeth put a hand on his chest "Jason, no!"

They all looked at her to find a wide smile on her face. Although Leo didn't understand why, if the smartest person in the group could find a reason to smile, it was good news. The girl put her megaphone up and closed her eyes trying to gain some courage, Leo thought, because that's what he did when he needed to do something insanely dangerous. Or stupid. Or both. He caught the glim of a black sword resting on her back which she didn't draw, so she was not planning on attacking. That's when he realized none of them had checked if she was on their side or not, but apparently, it was obvious. She finally opened her eyes.

"Hello Stonehenge! Who takes Pandora's box takes the Universe! But, bad news everyone!" She took off her cap, threw it away and a long curtain of caramel coloured wavy hair fell over her shoulders. Her voice echoed in the meadow "Cause guess who! HA!" To Leo's surprise, the monsters roared in…fear? They stopped dead, thirty feet away, noisier than ever, screaming, yelling, stomping. Although the girl had her back to the demigods, he could almost _see_ a smirk on her face "Except, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I. AM. TALKING" she shouted with authority. Silence fell among the monster army "Now the question of the hour is who's got Pandora's box? Answer: I do. Next question! Who's coming to take it from me?" She raised the box so that it was at plain sigh "COME ON! Look at me! No plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn Oh! And something else I don't have: Anything. To. Lose. So if you're just waiting out there with your silly little weapons and you've got any plans on taking Pandora's box tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you and then, AND THEN…do the smart thing: Let somebody else try first" She extended her arms wide open on a clear _bring it on_ way and Leo couldn't help but smile like Annabeth.

He glared at the monsters. They were absolutely shocked, like confronting an old enemy that had kicked their booties and left a wide mark on them. And then, they did the unbelievable: they turned around and started silently marching away, like they had forgotten why they had come to that place for starters.

The girl turned around and threw her megaphone at the ground. Then she got off the rock and marched towards the seven.

"EXCUSE ME" Jason stepped forward "WHAT IN THE NAME OF HADES DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"


	2. Chapter 2

The newcomer ignored him and tighten her grip around the box. Now that she was closer, Leo had the opportunity to study her more carefully. Her forest green eyes shone with the light of twilight. Her hair flew in the air of the prairie and her traces were so defined and angular, Leo thought he could've easily drawn her on stone. There was something wrong with her appearance, though: her skin. The girl's skin was sickly pale, almost greenish, like she hadn't seen the sun in forever.

She cracked her knuckles "Well that should hold them up for a while, but we better get going"

Annabeth jumped in with excitement "Iris! You're Iris Hunter, right? I am-"

"-very welcome. I know. Now if you could just let me…" She dodged around a very disappointed Annabeth and drew her sword from her back. She traced a circle in the air with it, about the size of a human being and a glowing blue stroke appeared defining the course of her weapon. Inside the circle a void was created, with nothing but darkness within it. Leo's friends were way too stunned to react "Now, sunshines, if you've got any interest in staying alive I suggest you jump into the portal. I was really hoping to make it till dinner"

Nobody moved a finger. _Who is this psycho?!_ Leo wanted to shout.

Finally Percy formulated his question for him "Who-Who are you?" he asked.

"We're not going anywhere with you until you give us the box back. Besides, as far as we know, you could be one of them" Jason intervened pointing at the monsters in the distance.

The girl, Iris, Annabeth her called her, laughed with no humour and threw Pandora's box at Jason who caught it in midair "Yeah, right. See, Jason, if I wanted you dead I wouldn't have done what I did. Or I could just kill you now but as you can see, you're all very much alive"

"There's no way I'm going in _there_" Leo said without thinking. And he shouldn't have done it.

In a heartbeat, Iris was a couple of centimeters away from Leo's face, a wild look in her eyes and a dead serious expression in her face turned Leo's legs into jelly.

"Now you listen to me because I'm going to say this only once. I made a promise that I would protect all of you, whatever it took and I intend to keep it. Like it or not. Not my choice, not yours. But you seven are getting away from this one and you can bet it is no good idea to defy me so get. Into. The freaking. Portal."

Leo swallowed hard but couldn't afford to take his eyes of the girl's. He heard as Frank cried in pain again and fell to the ground. Hazel kneeled down next to him.

"Guys, please. He can't take another attack" she begged with tears in her eyes.

The crew looked at Jason. He surely seemed more comfortable now that Pandora's box was back in his hands but he was still hesitating.

"We'll go" Percy announced in his place.

Iris smiled "Fantastic! Now if you, pretty boy, could make your way towards the black hole over there…" she told Jason and pointing at the portal.

He did as she ordered, not daring to look back. As his best friend, Leo could tell he was scared, but he tried to keep his head up for the team.

Jason took a deep breath and finally eyed Iris before jumping in "If anything happens to any of us. Consider your life over"

The mysterious girl wasn't bothered by Jason's statement, she seemed to, for the first time, respect the guy's words. She made a sign with her head for Leo to go next. In that moment he realized he wasn't scared. At all. Iris's orders seemed so clear to him he _needed_ to do as she said. It felt somehow like magic. He had been under Piper's charmspeak before and this wasn't it. This was different. But he hadn't time to give it too much thought so he walked up to the portal and without looking back, he entered it.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as his whole body crossed he found himself on the deck of the Argo II at the English coastline, right where they had landed. He stood there, looking around in perplexity for a couple of seconds and suddenly felt something heavy pushing him from behind.

"Oops, sorry guys" he said and moved aside when he realized those were Percy and Annabeth arriving on deck.

In a second Jason was standing next to him with the box, showing the same stunned expression Leo was probably having. The sensation of almost dying on a monster attack and all of a sudden being back in a familiar place felt completely surreal. When all his friends had passed through the portal, Iris herself jumped in and the portal closed behind her.

The first thing she did was looking over at Frank "Take him in. He'll need some ambrosia and nectar but he'll be fine" she ordered.

Hazel didn't have to be told twice. She helped Frank get on his feet and walked him in. The rest of them formed a circle around where the portal had stood.

"Hey, look!" Annabeth shouted pointing at the sky: the first snow of the year AND they were alive. Those were good news. Once the distraction was over Annabeth cleared her throat.

"Sorry, uh, you're Iris Hunter the Great Thief, aren't you?" she asked shyly.

Iris maintained her poker face and walked up to her.

"Yes I am. And you are Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena, of course. Good to finally meet you in person" Iris greeted, lowering her head with respect "And this" she said walking up to Percy, now with a suggestive smirk "Must be Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. Boy, I've heard about you, something about a great sword…"

"And something about a girlfriend too, you must have heard of that as well" Annabeth rushed to finish for her, putting her arm around a very confused Percy. Leo had to make an effort not to laugh because even though she smiled innocently, her expression clearly meant _try to make a move and I'll make sure you meet a great sword. And it will definitely _not_ be Percy's._

But Iris didn't seem to be bothered by that. She erased her smirk and moved on in the circle, closing in to Jason. Jason was still treating her like a hostile subject and stood with defiance, holding the box very tightly.

"Well look at this. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter blah blah blah powerful demigod with a huge ego. Tell me, how's your sister doing?"

"You-you know my sister?" Leo could tell Jason was trying to stay firm but he looked like he had just received a bucket of cold water.

Iris chuckled "Of course I know Thalia! In fact, she wanted me to join the Hunters of Artemis but it was a _lot_ of pressure, I mean, immortality? Maybe, but I'm not really sure about that no boys policy. It takes all the fun away if you know what I mean"She stepped aside to confront Piper "And you, Piper McLean of course, daughter of Aphrodite. Pleasure to meet you" she bowed like she had done for Annabeth "You're mother is a fine goddess. She has helped me uncountable times"

"Really? Oh well, that's awesome! And, you know, I'm sure she would love you to step by for a visit, like, right now!" Piper said in her best carefree voice.

To everybody's surprise, Iris laughed like she had heard the best joke ever "Oh, Piper, dear, I should tell you that charmspeak doesn't work on me, so don't even try it. But don't worry, I respect you and Aphrodite enough. Protecting love is a very noble task"

"I could certainly protect you, love" everyone on deck stood still and it took Leo a couple of seconds to take notice those words had come out of his mouth. Iris turned around slowly and very calm, she walked over at him…And then she kept on walking. Leo was forced to walk backwards to not stump on her. He hit a column at his back and Iris stopped "I said that aloud, didn't I?" Leo muttered to himself.

Iris smiled sweetly. Everybody was too scared to move a finger. Suddenly she sliced her sword from her back and pressed it against Leo's neck with more strength he could've thought possible. The smile faded from her face and she eyed Leo with the same wild look predators must have when they're about to hunt down a prey.

"You like it, Leo? I'm sure you know how to appreciate a good sword when you see it, son of Hephaestus. Technically, it's a machete but it's no big difference, isn't it? Three foot long stygian iron…It's called Icebreaker. Because it can cut through ice as easily as paper. It can also do wood, marble, gold, stain and flesh but I can't seem to remember what effect it has on it. Would you like to refresh my mind?" She said as she brusher she fingers through the blade.

Leo swallowed nervously "I'm good, thanks"

For a second his brain shut off. He'd felt that many times, fallen for so many girls, but he could've swore this time was different. As far as he knew, Iris had proven to be agile, smart, dangerous, fearless, not to mention she was so pretty she could've easily passed for a daughter of Aphrodite, but now she had the factor Leo just couldn't resist: she found Leo annoying. Before he could say anything else a howl cut the night sky in the distance, inland. Two harpies were flying their way with bows and arrows ready.

"Everybody in. NOW" Percy shouted "LEO, GET THIS SHIP SAILING"

"On it!" Leo shouted back.


	4. Chapter 4

He felt relieved to be able to get away from Iris's sword even if it was due to a monster attack. He slipped around the black machete and went straight to find _Festus_, the dragon figurehead. He picked up the Wii remote from the floor, right where he had left it and started pressing the commands. Around him Piper took Jason's hand, Percy ran up to Annabeth and put his hand over her shoulder and the four of them got inside. And he was left alone with Festus. Not that he didn't like spending time with the dragon but just once, he would've liked to have someone to take care of. Sadly, the only girl left on deck was Iris and it was more likely that she dropped her sword and started doing the Macarena than she would accept Leo as her protector. As expected, none of those things happened.

The good news? The Argo II started to sail off. The bad news? The harpies were faster. And they were closing in.

Leo looked over his shoulder to see Iris standing at plain sigh like an easy prey "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he yelled "GET INSIDE, YOU'RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

That determined, confident, dangerous girl Leo had met five minutes ago was gone. Iris was in shock, studying the harpies in fear.

"No-No I won't, I can't because-"

In that moment the harpies passed right over them and took their shots. One arrow ended up on the floor of the ship. The other one went right through Iris's arm.

The world turned slow motion for Leo. He contemplated as Iris fell backwards; he summoned a fireball and shot it at one of the harpies which immediately turned into dust in midair and the other one flew away. He cursed in Ancient Greek, ran up to Iris and kneeled next to her.

"Oh Gods, don't move. Don't even move. You'll be fine, I promise. We'll get you inside and give you ambrosia and-" he had to stop himself when he focused on the wound.

The arrow cut across her left arm on a clean break through that would've killed anyone of a blood loss in seconds. But where the blood was supposed to be staining her clothes was another liquid: Ichor, the golden blood of the immortals.


	5. Chapter 5

Iris looked at him with wide open eyes full of fear, panic, expectation. Then she softened a little, although the pain must have been killing her. Leo couldn't move so he stared at her as she took the arrow with her good hand and pulled it out of her arm with a sore cry.

He made an effort to wake himself up. Goddess of not, Iris was suffering and he was not going to let that happen. He _couldn't_ let that happen. He took her in his arms and she passed out.

"Oh _no no no no_" He whispered pointlessly.

He carried her inside, careful not to slide on snow. Iris felt incredibly light and vulnerable in his arms. When he put a step on the common room, Annabeth, Piper, Hazel and Jason surrounded him, checking on the unconscious girl. The only one still sitting on the couch was Frank. His wound was now covered in bandage and he was taking a cup of nectar.

"Leo, what-what happened?" Piper asked.

Leo moved Iris's posture so that the injury was exposed. Hazel gasped.

"Pluto Almighty… But-but she's not a Goddess, is she?"

They all looked at Annabeth for answers, but she seemed to be lost in the image of the Ichor. It took her a while to react "I doubt so. Anyway, we can't leave her outside just like that, she's staying here tonight. We don't have any unoccupied beds but-"

"She can have mine" Leo hurried to say "It's okay, I can sleep in the engine room"

Annabeth nodded "Very well. Piper and Hazel can take care of her. Leo, get her to your room"

Once he had led her in his cabin, Piper and Hazel came in with water, bandages, ambrosia and nectar. He looked around and hoped she didn't wake up any soon because his cabin was a giant mess of plans, scale models, tools and one or two slices of pizza.

"Thanks, Leo, we'll take care of her" said Hazel.

Leo studied Iris one last time. Her hair was wet from the snow and her eyelids were turning purple-ish (which was a big contrast with her paper-white skin). Luckily, her wound had stopped bleeding and was already closing in, definitely at incredible speed. Leo headed to the door and noticed Piper was smiling at him, but when he eyed her she looked away, like she knew something he didn't. He thought it was better not to ask.

Up in the common room, the rest of them were resting and having the first proper meal in over a week. Leo sat next to Frank.

"Hey man, how you feeling?"

Frank had really sleepy eyes. He looked up from his ambrosia "Better, thanks. To be honest, it's all thanks to Hazel. Honestly, she would make a great nurse"

"Well, we still have a lot to talk about" Said Jason between bites of his grilled sandwich "what are we going to do when she wakes up? I mean who is this girl?"

"Oh I've heard of her. Iris Hunter, also known as The Great Thief. She has done some of the greatest robbery acts in millennia. She's a mere teenager, it's unbelievable. She works for powerful people, apparently" Annabeth explained.

"Powerful people? How do you know that?" Percy asked.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain. Who do you think has a special and maybe _personal_ interest in keeping us alive but can't intervene directly with demigod quests?"

Percy's eyes widened "You don't mean-she was sent by-"

"The Olympians? Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking"

Finally Leo couldn't contain himself "And what about the Ichor? Is she a goddess or not?"

"For the way she drools in her sleep, I would say not" They all turned around and saw Piper and Hazel crossing the door, whipping her hands with paper towels. They picked up some food from the table and went to join the others at the big L sofa. Hazel sat at the other side of Frank and pecked his cheek. "Hey there" she said.

"Where's the box?" Piper asked.

"I've taken it to safety. Not our biggest problem right now" Jason inquired. He turned to Annabeth "So goddess or not?"

Annabeth stared at the floor. It must be exhausting to be the living encyclopedia of the group.

"That _was_ Ichor. We can be sure. But like I said Gods can't participate in quests. Not so openly. Plus, to be honest, she's not exactly Goddess-like" she said with a grin. For some strange reason Leo felt personally offended by her comment.

Leo gasped "But, uh, isn't Iris the name of a Goddess?"

"Yeah but _that_ Iris, Goddess of the rainbow, is back in California. I mean, she could've just come here but this Iris doesn't seem like any pacific and gentle rainbow princess. If she was a Goddess I don't see why she would can herself that" Percy said.

"Aaanyway" Frank yawned "We're all tired, plus she's asleep and she's not waking up any time soon so I say we let ourselves get a good night of sleep. We can sort this out tomorrow" he stood up but stopped dead looking at the distant table "Um, is that her sword?"

The six followed his gaze. Over the table laid the black machete of Iris Hunter.

"Oh, yeah, I found it outside and thought I should bring it here" Percy explained "Guys, I think we should give it back to her"

Jason stood up "Are you insane? You want her _armed_?!"

"I want her to know that she can trust us"

Annabeth smiled at his side and kissed him before wishing everybody good night and leaving.

Piper sighed "Well, somebody's gotta go leave it in her room" she said.

"I'll do it" Leo said without a second thought. Percy, Jason and Frank shot him a warning look "Oh c'mon guys. I'm not falling for this one"

Percy chuckled "That's what you said last time and the time before that and the time before that-"

"Okay, I get it" Leo replied rolling his eyes "But I'm serious this time, alright? Promise"


	6. Chapter 6

Leo did his best to stay silent as he maneuvered around his cabin to not wake Iris up but the sword was considerably heavy and he had a hard time not bumping into stuff. He placed _Icebreaker_ in the night table and he was about to head off without even looking back but something caught him. Literally. His arm was stuck on something: Iris was sitting in his bed, gripping his arm and she looked very much awake.

He tried to form words in his head "Uh, I, uh, I thought well we thought you-uh-your sword" he muttered. And cursed himself for it. Iris didn't smile. Her wound was a mere scar on her arm now "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up, I was just leaving"

"No" she hurried to say, letting him go "I'm the one who's sorry. Just-Just stay here for a second"

Leo hesitated. Jason would definitely not like that. _In the other hand_, he thought, _Jason is not here._ He took a step back and sat on the floor with caution.

He counted to eight until Iris spoke again.

"I assumed this was your room"

"Because of the mess?" Leo asked.

"Because of the smell. I smell smoke" she paused and studied his expression "Look, I know I wasn't the nicest out there but…thanks. For everything"

"Yeah, no problem. That's what we do" He glanced at the sword "fancy weapon you got there"

She sat straight in bed and pulled some of her hair behind her ear "Oh, right. _Icebreaker_. It was a gift from a client"

"A _gift_? The only person I know apart from you with a stygian iron sword is a guy called Nico and that's only because he's the son of Hades, so he's been to the Underworld…oh" Leo tried to rearrange his thoughts "Your client?"

Iris sighed "You really don't want to know about me, Leo"

"Well, can I decide that myself?"

She smiled. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks "Fair enough, your decision" she said "Ask away"

He didn't have to think it twice "Are you a Goddess?" he asked.

Iris laughed which made Leo feel warm and fuzzy inside. He tried not to show it, though, cause he wanted to play it cool.

"I was hoping you just ignored the uh-" she made a sign towards her arm "well, to be concise, no I'm not…Did I say something funny?"

Leo made an effort to wipe the smile of his face "Oh, no, sorry, go on"

"I'm a demigod. I'm a daughter of Hermes. In the other hand, I never met my mother. The first time I cut myself was at the age of five. I was playing with some kids from the foster home and I fell and cut my knee. When all the other kids saw that my blood was golden…well they didn't like me so much, to be honest"

"So you're a thief because you're a daughter of Hermes?" Leo inquired,

"Partly, I think so, but I also believe that I have something else. Like a talent…or my father's blessing or something"

"But I've never seen you before. How come you know stuff about the gods if you've never been to Camp Half-Blood? Or perhaps Camp Jupiter? Wait, are you Greek or Roman?"

"No, I didn't go to any Camps. See, Leo, I don't think I belong at neither of them. I speak Ancient Greek. But I also speak Latin. I don't know how or why or anything"

Awkward silence. Leo decided to get closer "So where did you learn about, you know, booty kicking"

"That's a long story. Like I said, I grew up at a foster home, in Dallas. When I was seven, me and this other girl got adopted by the same parents, so we became sisters. Everything went alright, I was careful not to make myself bleed because I was so scared they would stop loving me…Anyway, my sister, Drew, told me one day, when we were playing at our backyard that her mother, her _real_ mother, had appeared to her and had told her everything about who she was. A daughter of Aphrodite, she was. Of course, I didn't believe her at the time. However, she explained how Aphrodite had told her that a satyr would come to take her where she really belonged and she told me how great she felt because she had always been…out of place. Different. She, Leo, was going to Camp Half-Blood. Eventually the satyr came and took her away. I didn't say a word but I wanted to believe I was like Drew, because I _wanted_ to have a reason to be the weird kid. I didn't want to be a freak. Two years later, a satyr found me at my backyard. He was old, very old. He said he was going to take me away, that I didn't belong where I was. I got excited because I thought he was going to take me with Drew but he didn't. I ran away with him and we hid in the forest. He told me that I had a ton of power I didn't even know about and that I was dangerous for others and myself. He said he had made a promise that he would teach me, prepare me for the real world. His name was Pete and he's all the family I had from then on" she stared at her feet for a while "I spent years with Pete in that forest, learning to fight, to survive, he was like a father to me. Eventually, Hermes, my real father claimed me and that day I realized there was no way back to my old life. When I was thirteen, Athena herself paid us a visit. She said she needed someone to get her scepter back from Apollo's palace who had played on her a cruel joke. So I sneaked into Apollo's palace and got it back for her. She was so pleased she thanked me with books, from which I studied Ancient Myths. My guess is that Athena spread the word and all of a sudden, Gods were dropping by, asking for my services. Two and a half years later I'm still the gods's burglar. I'm The Great Thief"

"What happened to Pete?"

"He passed away over a year ago. Don't be sorry, he had a long life"

"Alright... I don't mean to be rude but…are you sure you're not a Goddess? Like have you checked?"

Iris laughed dryly "I'm powerful, suggestive and, not to be arrogant but, very good at what I do. I know there's Ichor where there should be blood in me, I speak both ancient languages, my wounds heal faster than normal and I know that the fact that I've never met my mother is suspicious. But I'll tell you something, I do the one thing Gods never do: I age. And that's how I know" She analyzed Leo again, looking for his reaction "And what about you?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Seems like we have stuff in common here. Same thing: I grew up in Texas. Houston though. My mom passed away when I was little and I was sent to a foster home. Actually, I've been to lots of foster homes because I kept running away, it's a nasty habit of mine. So the years passed, I ended up at the Wilderness School where I met Piper and Jason and one day we were taken to Camp Half-Blood by an incredibly violent yet pretty useless in battle satyr. And that's it"

"That's it? You're not giving away the details" Iris complained.

"I don't think you wanna _know_ the details"

"Well, can I decide that myself?" she enquired.

Leo lowered his head and smirked. She wasn't much of a terrible murderer. Actually, she was pretty easy going. Why would Jason be so frightened of her? Then something hit him.

"Is that why the monsters feared you? Because you've fought them before to get whatever the Gods asked you to get, isn't it?"

Her smile faded "What I do has made me a lot of enemies, Valdez but I should make something clear: I'm not in any side. I don't support the Gods. I don't support the Tartarus creatures. I do what I'm asked to do and in exchange they pay me. It just happens that my best clients tend to be the Olympians. And most of all, I don't get involved with people because it could be dangerous for them. The only reason why I'm still doing this is because one day I'm gonna bump into someone that knows where my mother is and what happened to her"

"You've told me a lot of stuff for someone that doesn't want to get involved"

Iris leaded over the bed to get close enough to Leo to whisper and he could hear her breath "Oh don't think you're special, kiddo, I'm telling you all this because you saved me and I want to thank you"

Leo's brain died, his legs felt like jelly and he was so close to the girl he could see her eyelashes. So, obviously, he kissed her. Iris kissed him back and the rest of the world disappeared. She ran her finger through Leo's curly hair. Leo reached his hand to touch her face and he felt her cold skin under his fingertips. If the stars had gone out of the night sky in that moment he wouldn't have cared. He didn't know how long they spent there but it felt like an eternity. At some point they broke apart to catch their breaths.

He said the first thing that came to his mind "I wish this could last forever"

Iris smirked "Be careful making wishes in the dark" she whispered.

Leo analyzed her forest green eyes and couldn't help but laugh "This is insane. I don't even know you"

For a second, there was a sad expression in her face, like she had wanted to say something but considered it might've ruined the moment. "Of course you don't" was all she said.

At this point, Leo decided he better took off before Iris started regretting the kiss or he woke up from a dream or something. He stood up and marched towards the door. He turned around to see Iris back in her sleeping position, staring back at him.

"Sleep well, you" he said before leaving and closing the door behind him. _You're a real poet, Valdez that last one takes the big price_ he thought in the way to the engine room, his lips still tingling with the memory of the kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

She let that sink in and all of them stood quiet for a second.

Piper looked nervous "Sorry but, how do we know you're going to send the box to Olympus and not elsewhere? No offense but we barely know you"

Annabeth tried to reassure her "Piper, she promised to keep us safe, she doesn't want anything bad to-"

Iris made a sign for her to shut up and leaned over to Piper. Piper backed off, scared and expectant.

"I swear on the River Styx that I'll get the box to Olympus as fast as I can" She said "Is that trust worthy for you?"

Piper could only nod. Iris had committed herself to the death, no way anyone could doubt she was on their side.

Annabeth tried to fill in the awkward silence "So, if you all agree, we'll go back inland and send the box through a portal in London"

Frank whistled "Well it sounds like we're gonna have fun! Count me in"

"It's a yes for me" said Hazel.

"It's for the best" Jason added.

"If Annabeth thinks it's a good idea…"

"I don't see why not"

Leo must've been very distracted, because it took him a while to realize they were staring at him.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, sounds good" he muttered.

Annabeth stood up "Great. See you all on deck in twenty minutes"

They all dispersed around the ship, collecting everything they might need from weapons, to ambrosia and nectar.

Leo saw Iris picking up her machete from the ground and walking up to a nearby window (she probably didn't have anything to get apart from her weapon). He followed her.

"Hello" he said shyly. The girl wouldn't meet his eyes; she kept looking out at the ocean "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine" Iris spat. Leo got closer and tried to take her hand but she pulled it off defensively "What are you doing?"

"What am _I_ doing? What happened to you? I thought _something_ went on last night. Between us"

Iris laughed without humor "Between us? Really, Leo? Nothing happened" She turned around and started marching away but Leo got in her way "All I wanted was to say thank you and I did"

"Yeah well, you did use that tongue, we can both agree on that"

Iris's expression went wild, just like when Leo had refused to jump into the portal back at the Stonehenge.

"You _don't_ want to mess with me"

"Is that a threat or a challenge?"

Suddenly, Iris went blank, her expression softened. A crooked smile appeared on her face "If it was a challenge you wouldn't stand a chance, repair boy, you're playing with a heart breaker. What are you gonna do? Burst into flames?"

"Don't underestimate the power of literal hotness"

She held his gaze and Leo could feel sweet Iris coming back. But her smile faded and she looked away.

"There. You did it again. Why are you so nice and fun and flirty and then you go all aggressive and stuff?"

He could see her swallow and her breathing getting heavier "Leave it, uh, we have to go"

She ran off and Leo didn't follow her this time.


	9. Chapter 9

She let that sink in and all of them stood quiet for a second.

Piper looked nervous "Sorry but, how do we know you're going to send the box to Olympus and not elsewhere? No offense but we barely know you"

Annabeth tried to reassure her "Piper, she promised to keep us safe, she doesn't want anything bad to-"

Iris made a sign for her to shut up and leaned over to Piper. Piper backed off, scared and expectant.

"I swear on the River Styx that I'll get the box to Olympus as fast as I can" She said "Is that trust worthy for you?"

Piper could only nod. Iris had committed herself to the death, no way anyone could doubt she was on their side.

Annabeth tried to fill in the awkward silence "So, if you all agree, we'll go back inland and send the box through a portal in London"

Frank whistled "Well it sounds like we're gonna have fun! Count me in"

"It's a yes for me" said Hazel.

"It's for the best" Jason added.

"If Annabeth thinks it's a good idea…"

"I don't see why not"

Leo must've been very distracted, because it took him a while to realize they were staring at him.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, sounds good" he muttered.

Annabeth stood up "Great. See you all on deck in twenty minutes"

They all dispersed around the ship, collecting everything they might need from weapons, to ambrosia and nectar.

Leo saw Iris picking up her machete from the ground and walking up to a nearby window (she probably didn't have anything to get apart from her weapon). He followed her.

"Hello" he said shyly. The girl wouldn't meet his eyes; she kept looking out at the ocean "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine" Iris spat. Leo got closer and tried to take her hand but she pulled it off defensively "What are you doing?"

"What am _I_ doing? What happened to you? I thought _something_ went on last night. Between us"

Iris laughed without humor "Between us? Really, Leo? Nothing happened" She turned around and started marching away but Leo got in her way "All I wanted was to say thank you and I did"

"Yeah well, you did use that tongue, we can both agree on that"

Iris's expression went wild, just like when Leo had refused to jump into the portal back at the Stonehenge.

"You _don't_ want to mess with me"

"Is that a threat or a challenge?"

Suddenly, Iris went blank, her expression softened. A crooked smile appeared on her face "If it was a challenge you wouldn't stand a chance, repair boy, you're playing with a heart breaker. What are you gonna do? Burst into flames?"

"Don't underestimate the power of literal hotness"

She held his gaze and Leo could feel sweet Iris coming back. But her smile faded and she looked away.

"There. You did it again. Why are you so nice and fun and flirty and then you go all aggressive and stuff?"

He could see her swallow and her breathing getting heavier "Leave it, uh, we have to go"

She ran off and Leo didn't follow her this time.


	10. Chapter 10

Wandering around the streets of London wasn't hard. Once they've gotten inland, they had to take a train to get to the English capital city. They all wore winter clothes with combat boots and coats. They had learnt how great those things were for hiding weaponry (the perks of being a demigod). They would've passed for a group of regular teenagers on winter holidays if it wasn't for Iris who, luckily had accepted to wear a trench coat to hide her sword but was still wearing black shorts and a simple tank top so she drew the attention of some tourists. This time Percy had the box which made Jason feel a lot more comfortable now that he didn't have to carry its weight.

The snow covered the streets and the fog impregnated the morning air on a typical British Tuesday. Even though Iris's strange cold hardiness was worth the glance of a lot of pedestrians and the mere presence of Pandora's box should've been radiating energy, they weren't attacked even once. Leo couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to false-alarm his friends and the only person in the group that would have the nerve to go and check was ignoring him.

The moved fast and got to the British Museum in no time, since it was a pretty important touristic place, easy to spot. They stopped at the entrance and closed circle, visitors walking around them. Frank contemplated the street innocently.

"No one's following us. We made it. Still not sure why we didn't just teleport ourselves" he said.

Iris put a hand on his shoulder "Frank, dear, _Icebreaker_ is not an inexhaustible source of portals. It has to rest. Only one trip a day, so unless you want to swim all the way to New York with the box, I suggest you don't complain" she said.

Frank nodded frightened "Yes, ma'am"

Annabeth sighed. She looked for something in her coat and handed it to Piper. It was a cellphone.

"Uh, care to explain?" Piper asked.

"You are going to use some charmspeak to call the Museum and tell them you're right outside the building and you can see smoke coming from the rooftop. You're very scared and you want them to evacuate" Annabeth said.

Piper stared at her like she was going nuts.

"It's your phone, why don't _you_ call?"

Annabeth's cheeks turned red and she looked at the floor "They know me, I-uh, used to spend a lot of time in here when I was on holiday in London with my dad" Percy laughed next to her so she punched him softly "Don't make fun of me! I like history, that's all"

"You're a nerd, that's all" Percy replied, smiling. Annabeth opened her mouth, probably to curse him, but was interrupted "And it's one of the reasons why I so devoutly love you and I probably wouldn't be standing here it if wasn't for you. So I'm just gonna shut up"

That seemed to calm her down "Wise choice. Now, Piper if you could do the honors, the number is in the screen"

Piper pressed the call button and waited. She spoke with a nervous tone and Leo could've sworn she was actually preoccupied, he even felt like running away from that place. But he knew he had to control himself, it was just charmspeak she was using. An alarm went on and she lowered the phone.

"Done. They're evacuating" she said.

Jason stared there watching the tourists leave in disbelief "You're amazing"

"I know" Piper winked at him.

They marched together against the current of panicking people toward the entrance, like nothing was wrong. The guards at the door barely even noticed them with the chaos that was going on around them. Annabeth guided them to an office and closed the door behind them.

"Woah you do know this place" Frank told her.

Annabeth grinned clearly unpleased with his comment, and asked "Now, Iris, where to?"

"Well, we need a very ancient object created by any sort of civilization so I think…the Rosetta Stone should do"

"Great. If I'm not wrong it's not far from here. Just follow me and stay quiet" Annabeth replied.

The eight went out again and this time the halls and corridors were completely empty. Once more Leo felt nervous, like they were being watched. He thought that if that was the case, Iris wouldn't have missed such an important thing but she wouldn't meet Leo's eyes and he was too scared to ask.


	11. Chapter 11

They rushed between exhibitions, not really paying attention until they found it: the Rosetta Stone. It wasn't covered with a glass like many of the other exhibits which was a relief (Leo didn't feel like vandalizing that day).

Iris took a step forward to the stone "You ready?" They all looked at each other but nobody objected. Percy nodded in response "Alright, Percy give me the box"

Percy handed it to her and Iris took a deep breath. The silence was overwhelming. She slowly put a hand on the stone, drew _Icebreaker_ and started drawing the glowing blue circle like she had done in the Stonehenge. Once it was finished, the black void appeared within it and Iris glanced at the others for reassurance. Nevertheless, her expression was fierce and confident again, which meant she was as deadly as an atomic bomb, for better or worse. The expression that Leo had grown to hate.

She turned around and put her arm in, holding the box into the portal. After a couple of seconds, she took it out and the box was gone. The portal closed.

At first none of them moved, waiting for something to go wrong but nothing happened. Iris faced them with a sarcastic smile, her green eyes shining.

"Well, you still doubt me, Jason sweetie?" she said.

Even Jason couldn't help but smile. It was over. The quest, the attacks, everything. The box was finally in Olympus and they were free again.

Piper ran up to Jason, he lifted her and made her spin, both laughing in relief. Frank took Hazel's hand and told her she was fantastic. Percy kissed Annabeth like nothing else mattered in the world.

"Gods, get a room!" Leo teased them.

He glanced at Iris, expecting her to be celebrating as well but she didn't look content. She was staring at everyone else just like Leo, her smile faded, her sword down and he knew exactly what she was thinking because he had felt it thousands times. She felt like she didn't matter; like everyone needed her but didn't really want her; like if she was gone, no one would even miss her. When she realized Leo was watching her she locked eyes with him and confirmed his theory that she was scared of being left alone.

He thought of how beautiful she looked under the dim light coming through the dormer on the roof. Her wavy hair was messy and her pale skin contrasted with her black trench coat. He wanted to get closer, tell her she didn't have to be alone but she formed the word in her mouth: _don't_.

At some point everyone split up and Percy took a step forward "Thank you. For everything" he told Iris.

The girl looked stunned, like it was the first time she ever heard those words. She nodded "Just doing my job" she said.

"Let's get out of here before they notice there is no real fire, they're not _that_ stupid" Annabeth ordered.

They hurried towards the entrance, excited to leave. All of a sudden, Iris stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

Iris stood there prettified and drew her sword in a heartbeat "I smell blood" she replied.


	12. Chapter 12

The team went on guard. Hazel, Piper, Annabeth, Percy and Jason took drew their swords as well while Frank tensed an arrow in his bow and Leo summoned the flames in his hands, waiting for the attack. They looked around but didn't see any threats.

"Wait you can smell blood?" Percy inquired out of nowhere.

Annabeth sighed "Percy, this is really not the appropriate-"

The dormer collapsed. The glass crushed and the poured over their heads but Iris pushed them aside. Two female figures came down from the roof and a shattering cold fell across the room.

"Guys" Frank whispered.

Everyone followed his gaze and a third woman came from the corridor dragging an unconscious guard. Piper gasped when she saw the blood trail that the man was leaving.

The newcomer went to reunite with the others. They were at a dead end. The pavilion had only one exit and they were blocking it. And something told Leo they weren't planning on moving aside.

Leo had the time to study them better. The one in the middle was the tallest, a curtain of long straight black hair marked her face and her smile showed inhuman long, sharp and white fangs. The one on the left had piercing green eyes and brown pixie hair. The one on the right (the one that was carrying the guard) was chubbier, with short ginger curls brushing her shoulders. The three of them looked in their twenties, were dressed in long white silk dresses and had a bloodthirsty look in their eyes. They had grey wings folded on their backs and something that bothered Leo, they had the same paper-white skin as-

"Iris Hunter!" the one in the middle shouted "It's been so long, dear mine"

The seven kept their eyes on the woman but Leo could picture Iris at the verge of tears.

Surprisingly, her voice sounded confident "Who are you?! You don't know me. Nobody does"

The woman did an exaggerated gesture like she was offended "You don't remember me? Oh well, I should've known, that was fifteen years ago. Of course you don't remember. My name is Agathe and sisters are Enyo" She gestured to her left "and Denio" she gestured to her right.

Apparently Iris couldn't quite process the image "Who _are_ you?" she repeated herself "Or better: _what_ are you?"

Denio dropped the guard and hissed with impatience.

"Quiet, sister! Please excuse Denio, she seems to be…hungry. Anyway, I'm rather surprised with you. I mean, believe me when I tell you that it has taken us years to find you, dear, you're so movable and unsteady! So I assumed you wouldn't know who we were but not _what_ we are! After all, your mother herself sent us"

Something clicked inside Iris and her breath cut short. Leo could've sworn he saw the floor freezing around them and the temperature dropped drastically. He was scared of what Iris would decide. _One day I'm gonna bump into someone that knows where my mother is and what happened to her_, Iris's words echoed in his head. If she chose to trust Agathe and side with her, they didn't stand a chance. Not even the seven of them could against Iris Hunter.

"You know my mother" Iris inquired "You know me"

Agathe laughed "Know you?! Sweetie, I saw your birth"

Leo's friends were getting impatient. _Of course they do, they know nothing of what _I _know_, Leo thought.

"But that's not all!" Agathe made a hand movement and a white scepter with a golden globe on top appeared in the air. She took it and the globe started to glow "Let us get to the Seven and I'll take you to her" she noticed Iris was staring at the scepter "This is her personal teleporter, Iris. You know about teleporters, don't you? It's programed to take you right at the place she is at in this exact moment. All you have to do is step aside. So what do you say?" Agathe smiled warmly.

Iris appeared hypnotized. She hesitated and placed _Icebreaker_ back in its quiver. Leo started shivering, there was snow coming through the broken dormer but he didn't care. All that mattered was that the girl of his dreams was about to betray them. She took a step forward and Leo couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Iris! Stop it!" He shouted.

She did. Agathe's smile faded and she glanced at Leo with pure hate in her eyes. Iris turned around slowly to face Leo. Not the Seven, just Leo.

She opened her mouth but no words came out. She looked down.

"I'm sorry" she muttered.

Iris turned around and continued advancing until she found herself facing Agathe.


	13. Chapter 13

"You've chosen wisely" Agathe complimented her.

"The scepter" Iris responded.

Agathe eyed her sister Enyo like they were exchanging a private joke "Just like your mother, straight to the point"

The woman crouched to hand Iris the scepter. Iris took it, her hands shaking, the glow of the teleporter lightning the room. Nothing happened.

Iris took a step back and contemplated her new possession with admiration and disbelief. Then offhand she backed off and drew her sword from her coat. Icebreaker was glowing blue. Iris looked at the seven once again, then back at Agathe, Enyo and Denio before taking the sword down and plunge it into the floor. The tiling cracked on the ground and an explosion made the windows, lights and glass shatter, cutting the light off. The blue glow Iris was radiating expanded as the seven fell backwards. Leo heard Agathe's cry before the room went silent and he passed out.

He woke up dizzily and feeling weak but he knew exactly what had happened. He heard nothing and feared the worst. Leo summoned the flames in his hand to look into the darkness. He had no idea how long had passed but it wasn't much. The ground was frozen, the snow had started to cover his unconscious friends on the floor.

"Oh no, please no" he whispered to himself.

He hurried and kneeled next to Piper who was the closest to him. He checked on her breath and luckily, he found out she was alive. Then he checked on Frank and Annabeth. Both fine.

Leo stood up and scanned his surroundings looking for monsters or threats but nothing moved. Where the three ladies had stood was a pile of dust but most importantly, Iris was gone.

"No, don't do this to me. Please." He talked on a feeble voice to the void "Stop it. STOP IT. COME BACK" He yelled.


	14. Chapter 14

Again, there was no response. He heard a weak electronic melody coming from inside the room. He desperately looked around and noticed it was coming from his friends. _Annabeth's phone, _he thought.

He ran up to Piper and checked the pocket of her coat. She still wouldn't move. There was an incoming call from an unknown number. Leo pressed the button to answer the call.

"Leo" the voice said.

He didn't need anything else to know who it was. He walked to the center of the room, right under the broken dormer in the hopes that Iris Hunter would come down from it.

"Where are you?" he asked nervously. He could hear cars passing at the end of the line and rain pouring heavily "What happened? What did you do?!"

A new noise: Iris's whimper.

"Leo, I'm sorry" Leo could almost see the tears running down her pale cheeks "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have gotten involved, I-"

"What are you talking about?! Nothing's wrong. You killed them, didn't you? Agathe and her sisters, you sent them back to Tartarus. There's no danger, come back"

"I can't!" she shouted "I can't come back. I'm a time bomb and anyone who gets close to me is the target"

"Come with us, we can help, that's what we're here for"

"No. No one can help me. I didn't choose my path and I can't undo it either so stay away from me. I'm a monster and I'm gonna hurt you"

None of them said anything for a couple of seconds, until Leo couldn't hold it anymore.

"Iris Hunter. The girl that made an army back off with the only mention of her name. The girl with the magic sword that can teleport. The girl that grew up in a forest. The girl who saved us more than once. Possibly the most dangerous demigod I've ever met but you won't hurt us. You won't hurt me. You just wouldn't. And I don't care who's coming after you because I like you and such an extraordinary, beautiful and incredible creature as you is worth the pain" More silence "…are you still there?"

"You said you like me" Iris whispered on the line. Leo heard her soft laugh.

He smiled to himself "Well, yes I did, I thought you knew, Snow White"

"Snow White?"

"Yeah, you kind of remind me of her"

"There are birds singing around me and animals swiping the floor?"

"No but we could get you some of those If you wanted" The rain seemed to get louder "So what do you say, come back?"

"I-I-Leo, it's-" there was a crashing noise in the distance "I'm leaving. Sorry. It's the way things are. I'm going to look for my mom, Leo. I really need to do this"

Leo's heart sank "Am I going to see you again?"

Iris thought for a second "Someday, in the future. I won't forget you. But you have to let me do this. Your friends should be waking up by now"

As if they had heard her, Percy started to move. Piper gasped and opened her eyes.

"Leo" she called out.

"They need you" Iris said "Go, Leo. I'll be fine. Plus, I sh-" the call ended.

Leo wouldn't move. With the phone still pressed against his face he whispered one more time "I need you. I miss you. I'll love you"


End file.
